Website offers snapshot of school quality

A new online tool now puts statistics of all 10,000 California public schools at the fingertips of anyone with Internet access.

Using School Quality Snapshot, parents and the public alike can easily view school statistics such as test scores, class size, fitness levels and graduation rates on a single site.

"Until now, parents had to scan more than a dozen different Web pages to compile this much information about their child's school. The School Quality Snapshot brings it all together in real time — in a colorful and concise format that's easy to follow and understand," said Tom Torlakson, Superintendent of Pubic Instruction. "It's a significant step forward in transparency and accountability for parents and the public."

Earlier this month, the California Department of Education released a two-page snapshot for each public and charter school in the state, providing a five-year overview of performance on key indicators, as well as providing state- and district-level data for comparison purposes, according to a press release from the CDE.

When the CDE unveiled the School Quality Snapshot, it also released information about the school's performance on the Academic Performance Index — a focal point of the Snapshot, states the press-release.

One local school, University Preparatory, for example, boasts the highest API score for high schools in the High Desert. The parent-choice public school is home-turf to roughly 1,100 students, 64 percent of whom are defined as socioeconomically disadvantaged. Most of the students attending the 7th- through 12th-grade school are minorities and 20 percent of the student population are English-learners — all data that can now be easily found.

University Preparatory, which is located in downtown Victorville, has increased its API by three points this year to a top score of 903, which is well over the state's target goal of 800.

"Last year our school was the only high school in San Bernardino and Riverside counties to have an API in the 900s," said Gary Elder, a teacher at University Preparatory and Victor Elementary School District board president. "Our staff knew it was going to be hard to continue to increase our test scores but we did it."

Elder explained that University Prep requires its students to meet certain criteria in order to be accepted to the school, but admits that although the school has an advantage because of the students they attract, he believes it is not license for faculty to grow complacent.

"Our goal is to be the No. 1 high school in California" said Valerie Hatcher, principal at University Prep. "We also try to keep with up with the latest in teaching practices to ensure our students receive the best education as well as identifying struggling students and trying to help them succeed."

From the School Quality Snapshot, one can see that University Prep boasts scores that are above state and district averages in all areas except for SAT scores, which are slightly below state figures.

"No amount of information, no matter how it is compiled, tells the full story of what's happening in our schools," Torlakson said. "But one of our goals ... was to give parents and the public more information about student learning and school success, and the School Quality Snapshot is a step in the right direction."

The School Quality Snapshot can be viewed at www.cde.ca.gov.

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Here's how local schools fared on the 2012 Academic Performance Index. It's based on a 1,000-point scale, and the state has set a target API of 800.

Blacks — 710

Students with disabilities — 607

Latinos — 740

English-Learners — 716

Asians — 905

Whites — 853

Adelanto Elementary — 599

Desert Trails Elementary — 699

Donald F. Bradach Elementary — 781

Eagle Ranch — 750

George Visual and Performing Arts Magnet — 804

Morgan/Kincaid Preparatory School of Integrated Studies — 783

Theodore Vick Elementary — 727

Victoria Magathan Elementary — 783

West Creek Elementary — 764

Westside Park Elementary — 711

Columbia Middle — 650

Mesa Linda Middle — 693

Alta Vista Public — 557

Apple Valley Unified — 768

Desert Knolls Elementary — 813

Mariana Academy — 779

Rancho Verde Elementary — 789

Rio Vista Elementary — 909

Sandia Elementary — 793

Sitting Bull Academy — 831

Sycamore Rocks Elementary — 897

Vanguard Preparatory — 854

Yucca Loma Elementary — 799

Sitting Bull Academy — 831

Academy for Academic Excellence — 855

Apple Valley High — 775

Granite Hills High — 739

High Desert Premier Academy — 474

Willow Park High — 377

Helendale Elementary — 790

Helendale Elementary — 813

Riverview Middle — 794

Academy of Careers & Exploration — 763

Hesperia Unified — 761

Carmel Elementary — 791

Cottonwood Elementary — 791

Cypress School of the Arts — 872

Eucalyptus Elementary — 767

Hollyvale Elementary — 748

Joshua Circle Elementary — 768

Juniper Elementary — 864

Kingston Elementary — 797

Krystal School of Science — Math & Technology — 904

Lime Street Elementary — 765

Maple Elementary — 793

Mesa Grande Elementary — 785

Mesquite Trails Elementary — 859

Mission Crest Elementary — 767

Pathways to College — 722

Topaz Preparatory Academy — 814

Cedar Middle — 756

Hesperia Junior High — 745

Ranchero Middle — 753

Encore Junior/Senior High School for the Performing and Visual Arts — 775

Hesperia High — 731

Oak Hills High — 754

Sultana High — 771

Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert — 720

Canyon Ridge High — 533

Crosswalk: Hesperia Experiential Learning — 684

LaVerne Elementary Preparatory Academy — 911

Shadow Ridge — 561

Hesperia Community Day — unavailable

Mojave High — 554

Lucerne Valley Unified — 734

Lucerne Valley Elementary — 762

Sky Mountain Charter — 775

Lucerne Valley Middle — 678

Lucerne Valley High — 722

Lucerne Valley Community Day — unavailable

Oro Grande Elementary — 723

Riverside Preparatory — 822

Oro Grande Elementary — 750

Mojave River Academy — 598

Snowline Joint Unified — 797

Baldy Mesa Elementary — 825

Heritage — 895

Phelan Elementary — 736

Pinon Hills Elementary — 783

Vista Verde Elementary — 764

Wrightwood Elementary — 866

Pinon Mesa Middle — 810

Quail Valley Middle — 861

Serrano High — 790

Desert View Elementary — 757

Chaparral High — 677

Victor Elementary — 802

Academy of Performing Arts and Foreign Language — 823

Brentwood Elementary — 776

Challenger School of Sports and Fitness — 822

Del Rey Elementary — 768

Discovery School of the Arts — 869

Endeavour School of Exploration — 895

Galileo Academy 101 — 838

Green Tree East Elementary — 719

Irwin Elementary — 699

Liberty Elementary — 756

Lomitas Elementary — 806

Mojave Vista Elementary — 762

Park View Elementary — 794

Puesta del Sol Elementary — 775

Sixth Street Prep — 933

Village Elementary — 800

West Palms Conservatory — 831

Mountain View Montessori Charter — 762

Victor Valley Union High — 711

Cobalt Middle — 713

Imogene Garner Hook Junior High — 722

Lakeview Middle — 698

Excelsior Charter — 767

Options for Youth-Victorville Charter — 675

Silverado High — 680

University Preparatory — 903

Victor Valley High — 697

Goodwill High — 547

Source: www.cde.ca.gov

— Intern Deloris Comford contributed to this report.

Lynnea Lombardo may be reached at (760) 951-6232 or at LLombardo@VVDailyPress.com.

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